Beauty tip #11 Homemade Facials

Why pay for expensive facials when you already have all the ingredients and you can make them yourself?? You can make your own masks, scrubs, or even moisturizers. It's all up to you!! You could even make them for oily, dry, or sensitive skin! Here are some of the ones I have tried and some that are highly recommended.

Dry skin:

    1. Avocado and honey mask: This mask is great for dry and even mature skin. Take half of an avocado and 1/4 cup of honey and mash it up really well. Leave for 10 min and rinse with cool water.

    2. Brown sugar scrub: This scrub is from the founder of Korres Natural Products. She says that sugar is a great exfoliator because of the grains. What you do is mix 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar with 1-1 1/2 teaspoons of either olive oil or coconut oil. Massage in circular motions and rinse with warm water. Be sure to moisturize.

Oily skin:

    1. Strawberry mask: Strawberries are a great natural source of acid. Acid is known to be great for acne. Mix 1/4 cup of fresh strawberries with 1/4 cup of sour cream or non flavored yogurt. Mash them together and leave on for 10-15 min. Rinse with cool water.

    2. Honey banana mask: Mix 1 ripe banana with 1 tablespoon of honey and a lemon. Mash banana and honey together then add a few drops of lemon. Leave on for 15 min and rinse with cool water.

Sensitive skin:

    1. Olive oil and avocado mask: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil with 1 1/2 teaspoon of avocado. Chill it for a little then apply to face for 5-10 min. Rinse and moisturize.

    2. Oatmeal and yogurt mask: Mix 6 ounces of plain yogurt with 1/2 a cup of instant oatmeal and 2 teaspoons of honey. Leave on for 15 min then rinse. 

These are just a few good ones that I've used and that others have really liked. Oh, and also to top it off try cucumber slices on your eyes for any of the masks. If you'd like me to post more please let me know!!

Please share how they work for you :)

Stay beautiful<3

Lipstick Contest

Hello beauties!!! Yes, it's time for another contest!! The contest this time is going to be all about make up... more specifically on your lip color!!!!

I want to see your favorite lip colors... Nudes, pinks, reds, corals... anything!!!
Be as creative as you'd like with it!!!!

To enter send me a picture of you wearing your favorite lip color and include the name and picture of the lipstick or stain. Send all pictures to beautiful.imperfections@ymail.com

And yes, of course there's a prize!! The prize will be your choice of any MAC lipstick!!

The contest ends April 10, 2012.

Don't be shy ladies.. I know you want a free lipstick!!!!

Cant wait to see what you come up with!!

Any questions please feel free to ask!

Beauty tip #10 Getting Rid of Blackheads

Do you have pesky blackheads that seem to never go away? Don't have enough money to get regular facials?? I know the feeling!! I've had an on going battle with black heads for a few years. They seem to always come back and especially around my nose area.

Finally, I did some research and tried some remedies out. Some of them worked great and some of them didn't make too much of a difference for me.. but maybe they will for you!!

Methods:

1. Steam: This is one of the most effective ways for me. ( Not to mention one of the easiest ) There's a couple ways to steam! One way is by purchasing a steamer. You could find steamers at any beauty supply or even at a Wal-Mart or Target. Another way is when you get out of the shower. The steam from the shower acts as your personal steamer! It softens your skin and opens your pores so it'll be easier for you to extract all that gunk!!  One more way to steam is by getting a towel and wetting it a little then microwaving it for about 30 seconds. Apply the towel to the area that you want for a few minutes then extract.
2. Elmer's Glue: I know, I know... this sounds very weird, but people swear by it! Here's how: Wash your face with a mild cleanser. Steam the area with a warm towel. Dry the area. Now the weird part haha... Apply a medium layer of glue and let it dry completely! This is the key step... it has to dry COMPLETELY!! This sort of acts like a pore strip. Once it's dry peel off!
3. Squeezing: I don't recommend this method too much unless you steam first and only if the blackhead is ready to come out! The reason why I don't recommend squeezing too much is because this sometimes leads to scarring if the blackhead isn't ready!! Scarring is the last thing you want! But if that bad boy is ready to come out, by all means, squeeze him out!!
4. Toothbrush and Toothpaste: Again, a weird one, but it might work for you! First, make sure its a toothbrush you don't use anymore or a new one that's only for this! Also, make sure its a soft head toothbrush. You don't want to rip your skin off. Apply a small amount of toothpaste to your toothbrush and wet it. Next wet your nose or whatever area you're scrubbing. Gently start scrubbing the area in circular motions. Not too hard!! This acts as an exfoliator. A little tip... don't get too close to your eye area because it might affect your eyes with the menthol or whatever ingredients your toothpaste has. Treat the area for at least a week to see results.
5. Honey: This one is pretty simple. All you have to do is warm some honey up for about 10-15 seconds. Apply to the area. Let sit for about 10-15 min. Wash off and moisturize. Treat for at least a week for results.

There are plenty of other methods out there but these are just some of the ones I've tried. Let me know if you use any of these and what your results are!

I'd love to see before and after pictures too!!

Let me know if you have any questions !! 

Stay beautiful <3

Beauty tip #9 Baking Soda

Ever wonder about sodium bicarbonate A.K.A baking soda??? There are over 50 well known uses for this household product! Baking soda is a great substitute for personal care products and any cleaning products. Here are 10 great uses I know of for sodium bicarbonate:

1. Funky Smelling Fridge: Baking soda is known to neutralize any acidic smells... like those funky smells in your fridge!! The baking soda soaks up those yucky smells. Just put a box of baking soda on one of the shelves in your fridge! Smells should be gone in no time!
2. Laundry: Sprinkle some in your washer after you pour your detergent in. Baking soda maintains the neutral pH in your detergent and water. It gives a nice little boost to your detergent. 
3. Toothpaste: Want to boost your pearly whites?? Baking soda is great for your teeth and the enamel in your teeth. You could go as far as making your own toothpaste but what I do is dip my toothbrush in a little bit of baking soda after I put my toothpaste on. And brush away!!! Remember... not too hard! Also another great way to make your teeth appear whiter is by wearing red lipstick!! Shh.. it's a secret!
4. Facial Exfoliator: Mix 3 parts baking soda to 1 part H2O!!! Mix together and apply to your beautiful face in a circular motion!!
5. Heartburn: Burn no more!!! On your baking soda box there should be some instructions and how to mix it to get rid of heartburn!!
6. Hand Cleanser: Mix some baking soda in with your hand soap!! Rub on your hands and rinse with warm water. Moisturize after.
7. Clarifying Shampoo: Got some residue or gunk on your hair? Mix some baking soda with your shampoo and lather up! If your hair is colored reduce the amount of baking soda you mix in.
8. Clean Your Make Up Brushes: NO DIRTY BRUSHES ALOUD! Mix a teaspoon or so with luke warm water and soak your brushes. Rinse and allow to dry.
9. Treat Your Feet: Dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda to a tub of warm water. Scrub away!!
10. Clean the Rust off Your Car Battery: Now, I wouldn't normally know this but I saw my boyfriend use this on my car battery. What he did was mix lemon and baking soda and rubbed the battery with a cotton swab! It left my battery looking brand new and cleaned all the residue off!! Be sure to disconnect the battery before.

These are a few I know of for myself. If you know any other uses please feel free to comment and let me know!
If you try any of these, contact me and let me know your experiences!
I would love to hear from you. Hope these help!

Stay beautiful <3

From long to short

Hello everybody!!! I once again went M.I.A for a while!!! But... I'm back!!

Yesterday I cut a friend's hair. Her name is Kate, she had amazingly beautiful long VIRGIN hair!!!!! Which we all know is very hard to find these days haha!!

Kate's long hair

Since Kate had gorgeous virgin hair, the best thing to do before we could cut it was to braid it. For all you wondering... YES!! She's donating it to locks of love!!!! 

Kate came to me and said she wanted a drastic change, so we went REALLY short! I was nervous about it at first because I really wanted her to like it and feel comfortable about it!! So I played it safe and left it a little longer... but brave Kate said she wanted it even shorter!!! So long story short (just like her hair). Here's the final look:

Doesn't she look amazing??

Kate with her braid

Side view

Kate wearing Mayoulee Accessories 

Have you gone from long to short before? I would love to see pictures!! Let me know what you think!